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Carnival provides key clues as Meydan’s road stretches far beyond the Dubai World Cup
From Kentucky Oaks and Derby aspirations, Friday’s card underlined how Dubai’s Carnival is shaping Classic contenders on both sides of the Atlantic
- PUBLISHED: Sat 21 Feb 2026, 1:28 AM UPDATED: Sun 22 Feb 2026, 7:40 PM
With the $30.5 million Dubai World Cup meeting now just weeks away, it would have been easy to view Friday’s Dubai Racing Carnival fixture at Meydan purely through a UAE perspective.
Yet the evening told a broader story. While several performances offered clear pointers towards the season’s grand finale in Dubai on March 28, the programme also cast a longer shadow, stretching all the way to Churchill Downs and America’s early-season Classics in May.
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At the heart of that international narrative was the Group 3 UAE Oaks, a race that increasingly mirrors the ambitions of connections looking beyond Meydan. The Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), now celebrating its 152nd running, is America’s premier race for three-year-old fillies, staged the day before the Kentucky Derby and run for a $1.5 million purse and the iconic ‘Lilies for the Fillies’ garland.
On Friday, Labwah provided a vivid reminder that Dubai-trained fillies can compete on that global stage.
Trained by Salem bin Ghadayer for Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, the Charlatan filly dominated the 1900 metre dirt contest from the outset. Ridden with quiet assurance by Brazilian ace Bernardo Pinheiro, she was allowed to stride into an uncomplicated lead and never looked in danger of losing it, ultimately surging seven and a half lengths clear of Yuno (Conor Beasley) in a display that blended stamina with authority.
“She broke well, and I got into a good pace, everything went very well,” said Pinheiro, who moved into the outright lead in the UAE jockeys’ championship with 38 winners. “Thank you to the whole team who put a lot of work in - I’m glad to be a part of it.
“She has a bright future as she’s proved she stays the distance. It will be interesting to see how far she goes.”
Labwah’s emphatic victory earned her 50 valuable qualifying points towards a possible start in the Kentucky Oaks, with the Group 2 UAE Derby also on the radar. That decision, however, remains open.
“I will go back to His Highness Sheikh Hamdan, as she was his pick from the breeze-up sale,” said bin Ghadayer, who could yet consider taking on the colts in the UAE Derby on Dubai World Cup night instead of a trip to Kentucky. “I will ask him what he wants to do, but she is ready for both options.”
The international thread at the Dubai Racing Carnival continued in the Listed Dubai Road to the Kentucky Derby, where British trainer Jamie Osborne may now have a genuine Classic contender after Brotherly Love secured the 20 qualifying points on offer for a trip to Churchill Downs.
In a strongly run 1900 m contest, the colt stayed on powerfully under female rider Saffie Osborne to beat Duke Of Immatin by two lengths.
Brotherly Love is half-brother to Heart Of Honour, who finished second in the same Dubai Road to the Kentucky Derby race (then known as the Al Bastakiya) in 2025.
“Sweet revenge!” added Osborne Senior. “Last year, we were very frustrated, so to avenge that with Heart Of Honour’s little brother is pretty incredible, really. Everything about this horse last summer screamed dirt, and when they went hard early on that suited us.”
While American ambitions grabbed the headlines, the card still offered significant clues for the Dubai World Cup night.
The Group 3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy, a traditional stepping stone to the 3.200 metre Dubai Gold Cup, went to the evergreen Al Nayyir, now trained by Tom Clover, who operates out of the Kremlin House Stables in Newmarket, England.
Making his first start since August, the eight-year-old showed admirable determination under Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe-winning Irish rider Rossa Ryan to reel in favourite Sunway and score by half a length, securing automatic entry to the Dubai Gold Cup on March 28.
Another highlight for Sheikh Hamdan came in the Group 2 Balanchine Stakes, where Fairy Glen capped a memorable night with a determined half-length success under Mickael Barzalona for the father-son training partnership of Simon and Ed Crisford.
Elsewhere on the card, Ryan completed a double on the improving Dividend, while Run Boy Run and Khanjah added further wins in the handicaps on another competitive night of Carnival racing.